Indiana Landmarks Updates List Of Endangered Structures

Posted April 30, 2012

The Harmony Way Bridge is on Indiana Landmarks' latest list of endangered sites.

The group Indiana Landmarks has named this year’s 10 most endangered sites, which include seven new landmarks and three repeating entries.

Indiana Landmarks says many historic sites that fell into disrepair during the recession. Executive Vice President Tina Connor says the organization wants to bring awareness to the degrading conditions of these locations in hopes they will eventually be restored.

“We think that having a building on the list will both help bring attention of city governments and developers and financiers, bankers mortgage bankers to try to craft some solution,” she says.

One of the new entries is the Harmony Way Bridge between New Harmony, Indiana and White County Illinois. The bridge is 80 years old and is still used by around 900 cars each day. Director of the preservation group Historic New Harmony Connie Weinzapfel says the bridge connects Illinois residents to a part of Indiana they might not otherwise visit.

“They pass through New Harmony to go to Evansville for shopping, or they come to New Harmony for you know the cultural amenities here. A lot people from Southern Illinois help our tourism industry,” Weinzapfel says.

But the bridge is privately owned and funded by tolls. Because it’s getting older, the tolls likely will not generate the money needed to pay for repairs. Weinzapfel says putting the bridge on the most endangered list should encourage the two state governments to work together to keep the bridge up and running.

Other new entries on this year’s list include the American House in Centerville, the House of Tomorrow in Beverly Shores, and the T.G. Wilkinson House in Muncie.

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